Flagging roll holder and dispenser

ABSTRACT

A holder and dispenser especially suitable for supporting a roll of flagging strip comprises a roll-supporting bracket having means to receive and support the roll rotatably, enabling paying out of the strip wound on the roll while a roll-retaining means carried by the bracket in outer perimeter opposition to the roll presents a cutting edge to facilitate severance of paid out flagging strip from the roll. The device is especially adapted to be made up of just two parts, the bracket and the retaining means in the form of a frictionally held sliding presser and cut-off member which adjusts to the changing roll diameter.

United States Patent Siegal 1 1 FLAGGING ROLL HOLDER AND DISPENSER [72] inventor: Burton L. Siegal, Chicago, Ill.

[73] Assignee: American Cutting 8: Binding Co.,

Chicago, 111,

[22] Filed: Aug. 20, X970 [21] Appl. No.: 65,598

[451 Sept. 26, 1972 Woods ..22S/78 Purcell et al ..225/78 57 ABSTRACT A holder and dispenser especially suitable for supporting a roll of flagging strip comprises a roll-supporting bracket having means to receive and support the roll rotatably, enabling paying out of the strip wound on the roll while a roll-retaining means carried by the bracket in outer perimeter opposition to the roll presents a cutting edge to facilitate severance of paid out flagging strip from the roll. The device is especially adapted to be made up of just two parts, the bracket and the retaining means in the form of a frictionally held sliding presser and cut-off member which adjusts to the changing roll diameter.

12 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDsms I972 FLAGGING ROLL HOLDER AND DISPENSER This surveying relates to roll holding and dispensing devices and is more particularly concerned with a holder and dispenser especially useful in the supporting and dispensing of flagging strip such as is commonly employed by land surveyors.

In 131 a piece of strip material such as cloth or other fabric is tied to a pole at a survey station. in order to render the station more easily visible from a distance in cases where the line of sight passes between trees, or when the background is deceptive, etc. For this purpose, surveyors now generally equip themselves with a roll of strip material of a distinctive color which will contrast effectively with the environment to facilitate observation. Such rolls may be of about pocket size. Carrying them in a pocket from which they must be extracted in use, or from which a length may be stripped as required presents a considerable inconvenience. Required handling of the roll often results in dropping the same and unwinding ing of a greater length of material than desired or even loss of the roll or large parts thereof.

A principal aim of the present invention is to provide a new and improved holder-dispenser, especially adapted for rolls of flagging, equipped to be conveniently carried on and by the belt of the user and adapted to support a roll of the strip material against escape but conveniently and efficiently exposed for quick stripping or paying out of any preferred length of the material and severance thereof from the roll.

It is accordingly an important object of the present invention to provide a new and improved holder and dispenser for strip material supplied in rolls.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simplified, rugged, highly efficient, low cost holderdispenser.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved holder-dispenser of the character described which comprises a bare minimum of parts adapted to be simply and economically produced.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved holder-dispenser of the character indicated having a new and improved cooperatively related roll-supporting bracket and combination retaining and cutoff means.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved holder-dispenser of the character indicated comprising a minimum number of parts which are adapted to be secured in assembly by a simple snapping together and without the need for any tools.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts em bodied in the disclosure, and in which:

FIG. I is a front elevational view of a holderdispenser embodying features of the invention showing a roll of wound strip material carried thereby;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device;

H0. 3 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially along the line Ill-Ill of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the device.

According to the present invention, the holderdispense'r comprises two parts, namely, a roll-supporting bracket 5 and roll retaining means in the form of a member 7 slidably adjustably carried by the bracket for operatively opposing the outer perimeter of a roll 8 of strip material 9 such as flagging wound upon a tubular core 10 providing a central eye opening for the roll.

In a preferred construction, the bracket 5 is made from suitable heavy gauge wire stock whereby the bracket can be produced as a one-piece wire form. It comprises a body portion of spaced coextensive vertically extending bars ll connected together at their upper ends by an inwardly disposed downwardly opening belt-engaging hanger hook 122 in the form of spaced apart respective hook legs 13 integral with the body bars and desirably divergently spread apart downwardly to a horizontal lower end connected bar 14 for beltengaging stability. As shown in FIG. 4 the bar 14 may comprise terminal end portions of the legs 13 turned toward one another and coaxially at least abutting and preferably permanently secured together as by welding or brazing, and projecting inwardly to provide a retaining, interlock catch or hook means 14a (FIG. 2) to engage under the lower edge of the belt. At their lower ends, the body bars 11 are connected together by an integral upwardly opening roll-supporting hook l5 projecting outwardly generally normal to the plane of the vertical bracket body and comprising hook leg extensions 17 from the bars 11 and connected together by an integral horizontal terminal bar 18. Through this arrangement, the bracket 5 is adapted to be carried on the person of a user by engaging the hook l2 over the user's belt at whatever point he finds most convenient. Mounting of the roll 8 is simply effected by engaging the supporting hook 15 through the central opening in the roll and resting the inner perimeter of the core l0 rotatably on an axis generally normal to the bracket body plane on the spaced apart horizontal portions of the angular hook legs 17, with an end of the roll facing the bracket body. Dispensing of the strip material 9 is readily effected by pulling on the free or loose end portion of the strip, which causes the roll to turn freely within the hook 15 until the desired length has been stripped from the roll.

To hold the roll 8 against being jostled from the hook 15 or being pulled therefrom during stripping of a length of the material 9, the retaining member 7 is constructed and arranged to engage the bracket 5 in a manner which will resist unintentional displacement of the parts but which will enable ready adjustment to accommodate variations in diameter of the roll 8. To this end, the retaining member comprises a rigid structure which may be molded or cast from a suitable rigid plastic material or metal and has a body 19 which is of a width slightly greater than the width of the bracket 5 at the legs ll so that the bracket legs 11 can be received in interengaged relation within confrontingly opposed complementary vertical bearing grooves 20 in respective spaced rearwardly projecting vertical gripper flanges 21 along the rear side margins of the body 19. To effect a frictional resistance to unintentional displacement but to enable digital sliding of the member 7 along the bracket legs 11, the normal outside spacing between the bracket legs ll is slightly greater than the spacing between the inside or root surfaces of the grooves 20 so that after assembly of the parts the legs ll will exert a spring tension into the grooves 20 to provide moderate frictional resistance to relative sliding movement. Such resistance is attained by the relative construction of the belt hook end portion of the bracket wherein the hook legs 13 are relatively long and divergent so that the upper end portions of the legs II are relatively free to be relatively flexibly movable through a reasonable range. This enables assembly of the member 7 with the bracket to be effected by digitally manually squeezing the upper or head end portions of the bars 11 toward one another as indicated in dash outline in FIGS. 3 and 4, whereby the slider flanges 21 are adapted to be engaged onto the bars easily, whereupon the bars are released and snap into retaining engagement within the grooves 20. Thereafter the member 7 is held on the bracket against displacement except slidably longitudinally or vertically along the bracket bars 11, with the overhanging upper portions of the hook legs 13 preventing upward displacement from the bracket bars while, of course. the hook legs 17 prevent displacement from the lower ends of the bracket bars.

For retaining confrontation with the outer perimeter of the roll 8, the member 7 includesa retaining flange 22 extending integrally from the body 19 into overlying relation to the roll-supporting hook 15. For mounting the roll 8 on the holder, the retaining member 7 is slid upwardly on the legs 8 to provide ample clearance to move the roll into place past the upwardly extending lip of the hook 15 provided by the bar 18, the roll then being dropped down into the hook l5, and the member 7 slid downwardly until the flange 22 rests on the outer perimeter of the roll, thus holding it down in the hook l and also holding the outermost coil of the strip 9 in the roll against unintentional unwinding, as a presser or brake.

In order to facilitate the severance of desired lengths of the strip material 9 from the roll 8, at least one side edge of the retainer flange 22 is provided with a cut-off edge extension 23 which desirably tapers toward a substantial knife edge in the form of prongs 24 including a longer central prong 25 which facilitates cutting engagement of the strip pulled up thereagainst as indicated in dash outline in FIG. 1 whereby the central prong 25 first and the shorter prongs 24 thereafter penetrate and hold the material against slipping transversely while being drawn cuttingly against the severance extension Such severance maneuver is facilitated by having the cutoff flange 23 titled downwardly toward the perimeter of the roll in slightly spaced relation. It will be observed that the width of the cut-off flange extension 23 is desirably slightly greater than the width of the strip 9 to assure full cutting engagement with the strip when drawn up against the edge. In order to clear the adjacent legs 17 of the rollsupporting hook 15, the cut-off flange extend 23 is desirably located on the hold-down flange 22 at a suitable distance outwardly from the hook legs to clear the same, while the body ofthe flange 22 is ofa length to fit inside the supporting hook by being inset along its forward edge as shown at 27 in FIG. 3. Thereby the retainer 7 can follow adjustably the diminishing diameter ofthe roll 8 clear down into the hook to the core for complete consumption of the material 9 from the roll. Thereupon, of course, the retainer 7 can be easily frictionally raised toward the top of the bracket, the spent core 10 discarded and a fresh roll of the flagging material mounted on the bracket and the retainer 7 pushed into retaining engagement with the periphery of the fresh roll.

Undesirable displacement of the free end portion or outer coil of the strip 9 toward the body bars 11 is prevented by the lower end portions of the retainer flanges 21. To prevent lateral outward displacement or escape of the free end portion of the strip 9, that is, in the axial direction away from the flanges 2|, means comprising a downwardly projecting, integral lug flange 28 are provided on the retainer 7 at the outer side of the extension 23. This flange 28 extends downwardly a sufficient distance to confront the edge of the outermost coil of the strip 9 even if the retainer flange 22 has not been pressed onto such coil, sothat the coil will nevertheless be retained against drifting away from the roll. Further, the flange 28 functions as a guide to prevent lateral outward displacement of the free end portions during manipulation for stripping a length of the strip 9 from the roll, whereby the strip will remain aligned with the prongs or teeth 24, 25 for eff cient severance of the desired length therefrom.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a new and improved holderdispenser especially suitable for flagging strip material in roll form. The device comprises,two efficient, low cost, relatively simple and easily assembled parts. The wire form bracket acts as a spring to hold the retaining member or keeper firmly in place against unintentional displacement from its roll-retaining relation and also enables the retaining member and the bracket to be easily and quickly assembled by relative snapping together by resilient deflection of elements of the bracket, thus eliminating any need for fasteners, special tools and the like to effect assembly. The device greatly facilitates handling and dispensing of the flagging material for a surveyor in the field.

It will be understood that variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

I. In a holder-dispenser bracket especially adapted for supporting a roll of strip material such as flagging in a convenient service position from a user's belt, and wherein the roll has a central core opening and an outer perimeter from which a free end portion of the strip can be grasped for progressively unwinding a desired length from the roll:

a generally vertical bracket body having on its upper end portion means for suspending said body from the users belt;

an upwardly opening hook structure on the lower end portion of said vertical bracket body extending outwardly generally normal to the plane ofsaid body to engage in the core opening to support the roll rotatably on an axis generally normal to said plane and with an end of the roll facing said body, enabling pulling and unwinding of the free end portion of the strip from the roll periphery in a direction which is generally parallel to said plane, causing the roll to turn freely within the hook until the desired length has been stripped from the roll; and

a device carried in vertically adjustably movable relation by said body over the upwardly opening hook structure for retaining the roll on said hook structure.

2. A holder-dispenser according to claim 1, said bracket comprising a wire form having a spaced apart coextensive pair of vertical body bars connected together at their upper ends by said means comprising an inwardly projecting and downwardly opening beltreceiving and engaging hook and connected together at their lower ends by said outwardly projecting and upwardly opening roll-receiving and supporting hook structure adapted to extend into the central core opening in the roll and thereby engage with an inner perimeter of the roll about the opening, and said retaining device comprising a member slidably engaged on said bars.

3. A holder-dispenser according to claim 2, said member having a body portion provided with spaced inwardly projecting vertically extending side flanges spaced apart and having vertical grooves therein facing toward one another and having said bars in frictional sliding engagement therein.

4. A holder-dispenser especially adapted for rolls of flagging strip material, comprising:

a roll-supporting bracket having means to receive and support a roll rotatably to enable stripping off free end portion lengths of material therefrom;

roll-retaining means carried by the bracket for adjustable, outer perimeter retaining cooperation with the roll and having a cutting edge to facilitate severance from the roll ofa free end portion length of the strip material;

said bracket having a vertical body;

said roll-retaining means comprising a member vertically slidably mounted on said body portion;

said bracket comprising a wire form and said body portion comprising spaced apart vertical bars;

said member having complementary slidable bearing means in frictional sliding engagement with said bars; and

said bars being under lateral resilient tension placing the interengaging surfaces of the bars and bearing means under frictional resistance to unintentional displacement of the member along said bars.

5. A holder-dispenser according to claim 4, said member having a body equipped with said bearing means and provided with a presser flange to engage the roll periphery, said flange having said cutting edge at one side thereof to overlie the roll perimeter at the free end portion of the strip of material.

6. A holder-dispenser according to claim 3, said upper hook comprising terminal portions from said bars and enabling resilient deflection of the upper portions of said bars toward one another to enable reception of said bars in said grooves, said bars being under lateral resilient tension in said grooves, the resiliency of said bars causing them to spring into frictional engagement in said grooves when released from said resilient deflection.

7. A holder-dispenser according to claim 2, said member being of an outward to inward dimension to clear said roll supporting hook so as to be able to follow the diminishing perimeter of the roll down to a central core, and having a cutting edge on a side projection of t e m mber w ich is of sli tl reater dim nsion a ong the edget an the wldtllt t e trip materia so as to assure engage ment of the edge when the free end portion of the strip is moved up there against for severance.

8. A holder-dispenser according to claim 7, said edge projection being tilted generally toward the roll periphery to place said edge in closely spaced adjacency to the adjacent portion of the roll perimeter.

9. A holder-dispenser according to claim 1, including means on said roll-retaining device to prevent undesirable lateral drift or displacement from the roll of the outermost free end portion coil of the strip material.

10. A holder-dispenser according to claim l, said means comprising a hook to engage onto the upper edge ofa belt worn by user, and having interlock means engageable under the lower edge of the belt.

11. A holder-dispenser according to claim 2, said member having vertical bearing means in complementary slidable frictional engagement with said bars, and said bars being under lateral resilient tension placing them in frictional resistance lateral thrust relation in the bearing means against unintentional displacement of the member along the bars.

12. A holder-dispenser according to claim 11, said member having a body equipped with said bearing means and provided with a presser flange to engage the roll periphery, said flange having a cutting edge at one side thereof to overlie the roll perimeter at the free end portion of the strip of material.

4 a: i e a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent 3.693.853 Dated Sentember 26. 1972 Inv nwfl Burton L. Siegai "'t is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 3, for "surveying" read --inventi0n--.

Column 1, line 8, for "131" read --surveying,--.

Signed and sealed this 19th day of February 19711.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Offlcer Commissioner of Patents FORM po'wso USCOMM-OC suave-m9 is, BOVUIHIIINT HUNTING OTHCI: Y". 1l 3). 

1. In a holder-dispenser bracket especially adapted for supporting a roll of strip material such as flagging in a convenient service position from a user''s belt, and wherein the roll has a central core opening and an outer perimeter from which a free end portion of the strip can be grasped for progressively unwinding a desired length from the roll: a generally vertical bracket body having on its upper end portion means for suspending said body from the user''s belt; an upwardly opening hook structure on the lower end portion of said vertical bracket body extending outwardly generally normal to the plane of said body to engage in the core opening to support the roll rotatably on an axis generally normal to said plane and with an end of the roll facing said body, enabling pulling and unwinding of the free end portion of the strip from the roll periphery in a direction which is generally parallel to said plane, causing the roll to turn freely within the hook until the desired length has been stripped from the roll; and a device carried in vertically adjustably movable relation by said body over the upwardly opening hook structure for retaining the roll on said hook structure.
 2. A holder-dispenser according to claim 1, said bracket comprising a wire form having a spaced apart coextensive pair of vertical body bars connected together at their upper ends by said means comprising an inwardly projecting and downwardly opening belt-receiving and engaging hook and connected together at their lower ends by said outwardly projecting and upwardly opening roll-receiving and supporting hook structure adapted to extend into the central core opening in the roll and thereby engage with an inner perimeter of the roll about the opening, and said retaining device comprising a member slidably engaged on said bars.
 3. A holder-dispenser according to claim 2, said member having a body portion provided with spaced inwardly projecting vertically extending side flanges spaced apart and having vertical grooves therein facing toward one another and having said bars in frictional sliding engagement therein.
 4. A holder-dispenser especially adapted for rolls of flagging strip material, comprising: a roll-supporting bracket having means to receive and support a roll rotatably to enable stripping off free end portion lengths of material therefrom; roll-retaining means cArried by the bracket for adjustable, outer perimeter retaining cooperation with the roll and having a cutting edge to facilitate severance from the roll of a free end portion length of the strip material; said bracket having a vertical body; said roll-retaining means comprising a member vertically slidably mounted on said body portion; said bracket comprising a wire form and said body portion comprising spaced apart vertical bars; said member having complementary slidable bearing means in frictional sliding engagement with said bars; and said bars being under lateral resilient tension placing the interengaging surfaces of the bars and bearing means under frictional resistance to unintentional displacement of the member along said bars.
 5. A holder-dispenser according to claim 4, said member having a body equipped with said bearing means and provided with a presser flange to engage the roll periphery, said flange having said cutting edge at one side thereof to overlie the roll perimeter at the free end portion of the strip of material.
 6. A holder-dispenser according to claim 3, said upper hook comprising terminal portions from said bars and enabling resilient deflection of the upper portions of said bars toward one another to enable reception of said bars in said grooves, said bars being under lateral resilient tension in said grooves, the resiliency of said bars causing them to spring into frictional engagement in said grooves when released from said resilient deflection.
 7. A holder-dispenser according to claim 2, said member being of an outward to inward dimension to clear said roll supporting hook so as to be able to follow the diminishing perimeter of the roll down to a central core, and having a cutting edge on a side projection of the member which is of slightly greater dimension along the edge than the width of the strip material so as to assure engage ment of the edge when the free end portion of the strip is moved up there against for severance.
 8. A holder-dispenser according to claim 7, said edge projection being tilted generally toward the roll periphery to place said edge in closely spaced adjacency to the adjacent portion of the roll perimeter.
 9. A holder-dispenser according to claim 1, including means on said roll-retaining device to prevent undesirable lateral drift or displacement from the roll of the outermost free end portion coil of the strip material.
 10. A holder-dispenser according to claim 1, said means comprising a hook to engage onto the upper edge of a belt worn by user, and having interlock means engageable under the lower edge of the belt.
 11. A holder-dispenser according to claim 2, said member having vertical bearing means in complementary slidable frictional engagement with said bars, and said bars being under lateral resilient tension placing them in frictional resistance lateral thrust relation in the bearing means against unintentional displacement of the member along the bars.
 12. A holder-dispenser according to claim 11, said member having a body equipped with said bearing means and provided with a presser flange to engage the roll periphery, said flange having a cutting edge at one side thereof to overlie the roll perimeter at the free end portion of the strip of material. 